Database Server or Web Server?

I have 2 servers which I would like to host a website. One is brand new with quad core xeons the other is p3. I was wondering which role will use more processing power and which one I should use as the webserver and which one should be the database server.





I guess its kind of a dumb question...





I need database access to have pretty high latency and be able to handle a high number of transactions and search a pretty big database (1mil items). I will probably host images elsewhere so web transactions will pretty mugh just be data dependent. Any input?
Database Server or Web Server?
Usually a general rule of thumb is that your database server needs to have more power than your web server. Your web server is usually just grabbing files and sending them. That is usually a simple task for a computer.





You can host your web site at home your isp should not say much because they can monitor your bandwidth and limit it if needed. They do not say anything about torrent uploads and downloads and it is almost the same thing.





Only reason you should not host at home is if 1. you dont know how or 2 you need bandwidth that you can not afford to bring 2 your house.





RJ
Database Server or Web Server?
well 1st i hope your isp knows what your about to do , hosting a website from your home . over a broadband connection is well ummm asking for trouble in more ways then one , the biggest being cost . you start hosting a website that generates any volume of traffic and your isp is going to have a fit over band with





and may shut you down . i have seen this happen several times





if you creating a website let a domain host it !!
Reply:You need to define (or at least estimate) your needs. How much database activity will each request generate? How many requests do you expect every second? When you know the answers to these questions, then you can see which server is suited better to which job. Maybe you will find that your load is small enough, so that the P3 can handle both and you could use the quad core xeons for more demanding jobs, such as video editing and games...